Foot for furniture leg



Feb. 28, 1956 M. R. Bolu FOOT FOR FURNITURE LEG Filed July 25, 1955 9, @ff-gf.

2 Sheets-Sheet l :inventor MAX R50 9a/U (ttorneg Feb. 2s, 1956 M. R. Bow 2,736,130

FOOT FOR FURNITURE LEG Filed July 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y N l nventor MAX R51/Bow (Ittomeg United States Patent FOOT FOR FURNTURE LEG Max Reu Boiu, Pasadena, Calif.

Application July 23, 1953, Serial No. 369,748

Claims. Y(Cl. 45-137) This invention relates to furniture leg structures and deals more particularly with a foot construction therefor. The present invention may be used on straight rod or tubular legs, and also on wrought iron legs of the type that have a return or hairpin bend at the licor-engaging end, whether or not said legs are vertical or angularly directed relative to the table or other article of furniture to which applied.

An object of the present invention is to provide feet for the legs of an article of furniture, that are universally adjustable so that the same automatically assume Hat engagement with the iloor, and, therefore, adapt themselves to unevenness of the floor and any variation there may be in the vertical or angular disposition of the legs.

Another object of the invention is to provide asnap-on type of foot for universal swivel engagement with the end of a furniture leg that has a return or hairpin bend, the foot, thereby, being easily removable and applicable without the use of tools.

A further object of the invention is to provide a snapon foot of the character indicated that, because of its automatic adjustability, assumes a flat, non-marring engagement with the tloor.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a side elevational view of one leg of an article of furniture showing the present foot applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view as taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View through the foot as taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the foot with parts broken away for clearer illustration.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a modiiied foot.

Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof.

Figs. 7 and 8 are, respectively, similar views of another modification.

The leg 5 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is formed of wrought iron rod to have leg portions 6 that are coplanar and are connected by a bend 7, said bend being shown as less than 180 degrees so that the leg portions 6 are divergent. The V-shaped leg thus formed is connected by the ends of leg portions 6 to a bracket 8 and the latter to a table top 9 or to any other element of an article of furniture. In the drawing, the leg 5 is shown ICC at an angle, other than 90 degrees, to the plane of top 9 and that of floor 10.

The present foot 11 is separably connected to the bend 7 of foot 5 and is, therefore, interposed between said bend and floor 10.

The foot 11 that is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises, generally, a filler block 12, a pad or cover 13 for the bottom face of said block, a metallic upper cover 14 for said block, and leg-engaging means 15 substantially interiorly of cover 14.

Block 12 is preferably formed of wood and preferably has its end grain exposed in surface 16 so that the same is quite porous. Said block is formed to have a peripheral llange 17 in its upper portion.

Pad or cover 13 comprises a piece of material of soft and compressible property so as to have a non-marring engagement With the floor. Such a fabric 18 is glued or cemented to porous surface of wood block 12 substantially as shown and the same may be rendered nonmarring by a pile or nap 19, if desired.

The cover 14 is preferably made of sheet metal, is formed to have a peripheral seat 20 into which the flanged portion of block 12 is tted and retained by an inturned spun ange 21 formed from said seat 20, and with an upper domed central portion 22. The latter portion is provided with a transverse slot 23 wide enough to accommodate the thickness of rod of leg 5 and long enough to receive the bend 7.

The leg-engaging means 15 is also preferably formed of sheet metal and is shown as a plate 24 held in place by the marginal portion of the domed portion 22 against the upper surface of block 12, as best seen in Fig. 3. Opposite intermediate parts of said plate 24 are sheared from the plate and bent upwardly therefrom to form opposed resilient parts of a spring clip 25 which is centered on slot 23 and has outwardly turned ends 26 dening a throat. Said spring clip is substantially housed in the interior of cover 14 except that ends 26 may slightly protrude, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The clip 25 is formed to encompass leg bend 7 which is entered thereinto past the throat as guided by outturned ends 26. It will be seen that the foot 11 and leg 5 are relatively pivotal on an axis at the center of the rod at the middle part of bend 7. Also, said foot, in addition to the symmetrical position relative to leg portions 6 that is shown, may be swung along the curve of bend 7. Thus, said foot has universal adjustability relative to said foot which enables it to automatically assume a position in flat engagement with the floor 10 regardless of the angle of leg 5 and of variations in angle among Vthe three, four or more legs provided to support top 9 or the like.

Since the throat dened by clip ends 26 must spread to accommodate the full diameter of the rod of which leg 5 is formed, the same is preferably located in the plane of slot 23 and the outturned ends 26 above said plane.

The foot 11a shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is substantially similar to the foot 11 above described, except that the domed portion 22 is provided with a round central opening 23a instead of a slot 23, and the leg-engaging means 15 has its spring clip 25 designed to receive the edgerounded end of a leg 5a in the form of a rod. Opening 23a is larger than said rod leg, enabling angular adjustment of the foot relative to the leg as shown, the adjustment being universal, i. e., in and transverse to the plane of the clip 25. In other respects, foot 11a may follow the structure of foot 11.

The foot 11b shown in Figs. 7 and 8 varies from foot 11a in that opening 23b is larger than opening 23a and clip 25 is designed to lit within the hollow of a straight tubular leg b. Universal angular adjustment, comparable to that alforded in the construction of Figs. 5 and 6, is present in this second modification.

While I have illustrated and described what I now contemplate tobe the best modes of carrying out my invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and describedbut to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope' of the appended claims.

Having thus described the-invention, what I claim and desire to be secured by Lettersl Patent is:

l. A foot for a furniture or like leg, comprising a padded member provided with an upper domed and transversely-slotted cover, and atspring clip carried by said member and aligned with the middle of said slot, said clip having an upwardly open throat adapted to pass a leg portion into operative engagement with the clip.

2. A foot according to claim 1: said padded member comprising a block having a substantially flat bottom surface land a fabric pad affixed to said surface.

3. A foot according to claim 1: said padded member comprising a block having a substantially fiat bottom surface and a fabric pad afiixed to said surface, and the cover having a seat for said block -and provided with a peripheral ange in spun-over engagement with the periphery of the block.

4. A foot comprising a circular wooden block having a substantially flat bottoni surface and provided with a peripheral flange, a non-marring fabric element glued to said surface, a domed sheet metal cover over said block and provided with a peripheral seat in which the block fits, the top of the domed cover having a transverse slot therein, said cover being provided with a peripheral ange in spun-over engagement with the ange on the block, a plate member confined between said block and the margin of the domed cover, and a spring clip formed from opposed sheared portions of said plate and extending upwardly partlyv through said slot and adapted to separably connect with the end of a leg introduced into said slot.

5. In a foot structure for furniture, a base block, a sheet rnetal dome having its peripheral edge secured about a projecting portion of said block, said dome having its central portion spaced from said block and formed with a central opening, a connecting member having an enlarged base located within the dome, and spring fingers extending only partially through said opening, whereby the walls defining said opening are in the path of movement of said spring fingers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

